Four Thai men charged as shocking video emerges of brutal attack on British family

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Four Thai men have been arrested and charged with the brutal assault of an elderly British couple and their middle-aged son who were punched and kicked unconscious.

Shocking CCTV footage has emerged on social media capturing the attack in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin during recent Buddhist new year celebrations.

The British tourists were named by the Bangkok Post as Lewis Owen, 68, his wife Rosemary, 65, and their son , also named Lewis, 43.

An unidentified witness who was also hit after he tried to help the victims said that drunken Thais were “primed” to attack Westerners after a long alcohol-fuelled evening of water fights.

The brutality and intensity of the attack shown on video and the ages of the older victims provoked outrage in Thailand and overseas when the footage was made public.

Scenes from the vicious attack in Thailand.Credit:
YouTube

Thailand's faltering economy is heavily dependent on tourism but this is the latest violent incident involving foreign visitors.

Mrs Owen, who was born in Cardiff, suffered the most serious injuries, with a build-up of fluid in the brain that was removed by doctors. She has remained in Thailand for treatment with her Glasgow-born husband, who needed stitches for a head-wound.

"The hospital is still holding her for observation for serious head and eye injuries," said Pol Col Chaiyakorn Sriladecho, chief of Hua Hin police.

Their son also needed stitches for injuries to his head, but is believed to have returned to his home in a nearby Asian country. The family are understood to have told Thai and British officials that they do not want to comment.

They were walking down a street packed with revellers after leaving a bar in a popular nightlife district at about 2am on April 13 when the attack took place.

Three Thai men were arrested two days after the attack and a fourth was detained on Thursday. They are expected to make an initial court appearance in coming days, but their victims will not need to be present as they have already given statements to investigators.

"The accused men say they are sorry and that they wouldn't have done this if they weren't drunk," said Col Chaiyakorn.

The footage, which makes for disturbing viewing, shows that the altercation began when the younger Briton apparently brushed shoulders with a Thai carrying a bottle.

There was a melee in the street and protracted pushing and shoving, with hands raised, before the Britons were knocked to the ground by a series of punches, including one straight to the face of the elderly woman.

They were then kicked as they lie motionless on the busy street while onlookers stood back and watched the assault.

An unidentified Western witness has described how he intervened to try to come to their rescue – but was attacked himself and now needs cosmetic dental surgery for his injuries.

“By the end of the night (around 2am) as the bar's customers were leaving, gangs of Thai youths were priming themselves to start punching Westerners!” he wrote.

He said that a friend's Thai girlfriend heard some locals discussing attacking tourists at the end of a day of heavy drinking.

“Small groups were scattered at various places, all with the intention of attacking tourists. “The girls in the bar I was in all night waved goodbye to to elderly customers and their son. My wife and I followed only seconds after them.

“Within 20/30 metres of leaving the bar, the Thais were punching the 65-year-old old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor, & their son was beaten very badly!!!”

“At this point I caught up to the scene and pushed one of the youths away from the woman. I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady.”

Writing in the aftermath of the attack, he continued: “Not one person (other than myself) came to aid these old folk, & they ended up laid in the road bleeding.

Scenes from the vicious attack in Thailand.Credit:
YouTube

“So if you're still out in the wee hours tonight please be alert. These pockets of youths were intent on causing harm, and did blend in with all others beforehand.”

The three suspects told police that an argument broke out after they collided in the street with one of the tourists. The claimed said the younger British man pushed and slapped one of them first, so they jumped on the family and savagely beat them, Khaosod English reported.

Hua Hin has a reputation as a family resort town, popular with middle-class Thais and tourists, and far removed from the “party town” excesses of holiday destinations such as Pattaya.

But there have been an increasing number of unprovoked street attacks on foreign tourists by locals in bar areas in resorts across the country.

There have also been a series of high profile murders and mystery deaths of Britons and other Western tourists in the country in recent years, raising concerns about Thailand’s safety as a tourist destination.

After the Hua Hin attack, a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: "Our staff have been in contact with the family to offer assistance and will remain in contact with the local authorities."

The Foreign Office travel advice makes no reference to the Prachuap Khiri Khan province where the incident occurred. “British nationals make nearly one million visits to Thailand every year,” it states.

“Most visits are trouble-free, but there have been attacks (sometimes violent), particularly on the islands of Samui archipelago. Two British nationals were killed on 15 September 2014 on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand.”